Monrovia Historical Museum
A City of Monrovia Historic Landmark
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A Tale of Two Volunteers Extraordinaire

9/21/2024

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PictureCarina Arias (standing) and Clara Fouser, are Monrovia Historical Museum's volunteers extraordinaire. They joined MHM in Spring 2024. Seen here in our upstairs library, the Trentalange Research Center.
A Step in the Right Direction

​Carina Arias and Clara Fouser are two peas in a pod. The only difference between them is – one was raised in Monrovia, while the other was raised by Monrovians. When they met at the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM), it was like two old souls meeting again after many lifetimes. It was an instant connection. But more important was the common interest in everything historical. They enjoy serving as docents and meeting people from all walks of life, but they’re especially thrilled to help with archiving in the back office. Collectively, they have clocked in over 160 volunteer hours since Spring! It’s no wonder we call them our ‘volunteers extraordinaire!’  
We take pride in fostering our young volunteers because in some way, we hope their exposure here helps them to learn, discover and find their niche in society, as well as develop a genuine appreciation for history!
We are always looking for new volunteers, not just the young ones, but the mature adults too! Come visit us at MHM and meet our friendly docents. Maybe you’d want to volunteer too! 
Click the 'read more' link below to see what Carina and Clara have to say about their volunteer experience at MHM. 




Read More
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Kudos To Monrovia Area Partnership's Youth Leadership Academy!

9/7/2024

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PictureCity of Monrovia staffers Joslyn Blakely (front), Jessie Woo and Paulina Reyes, lead the Youth Leadership Academy in the first session of their seven-week program, by visiting the Monrovia Historical Museum.
Wednesday, September 4th, brought a record-breaking heatwave to the City of Monrovia! But city staffers, Joslyn Blakely, Jessie Woo and Paulina Reyes braved the triple-digit temperatures to usher a group of twenty-one (21) middle and high school students to the Monrovia Historical Museum (MHM) to learn more about Monrovia's history. The field trip served as the first session in their 7-week program, sponsored by the Monrovia Area Partnership (MAP)'s Youth Leadership Academy.

MHM board members Mark Harvis, Oliver Beckwith and Mike Andrews led the private tour. "Our goal was to make their visit informative and fun, and I think we succeeded," says Mark Harvis, MHM board vice president. 

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Sarah Godinez, City Clerk Assistant for the City of Monrovia makes her presentation to the students at the Monrovia Historical Museum lobby.
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After the tour, city clerk assistant, Sarah Godinez, gave a PowerPoint presentation and talked to the students about the importance of voting. 

We, at MHM, applaud the City of Monrovia for sponsoring these programs that help enrich the lives of our youth!  We are always happy to serve our community! 
 Click here for more information about our tours. ​
Here's a brief description of the Youth Leadership Academy's mission:

The MAP Youth Leadership Academy is an opportunity for those in grades 6-12 gain education, skills, and resources that will help prepare them for the outside world and to be a leader in that world. The first step towards being an exceptional leader is by taking advantage of opportunities like this to learn different ways to be a better version of yourself. A version that can reflect unto others and make a positive impact throughout the community and world!  

The program gives youth a chance to get out of their shells; practice public speaking, learn about their local government, how to be a leader, the importance of volunteering, building their resumes, practicing mock interviews, and what to expect upon High School graduation. 
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When Mules Moved Monrovia

9/2/2024

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PictureClick on image to link to the source, Monrovia Legacy Project
By Mark Harvis
Monrovia Historical Museum Board Vice President


​Back before the turn of the century (no, not the one 24 years ago – the one 124 years ago), Monrovia inaugurated its first “modern” transportation system.  Starting around 1888 there was a single train track running up Myrtle Ave. from the first, wooden Santa Fe Depot (Myrtle and Duarte) to the La Vista Grande Hotel at Lemon, where it turned east.  Total distance traveled was about 1.5 miles.

This most-modern shuttle was called the “Mule and Gravity Rapid Transit,” an accurate, if not exactly catchy name.  The Pacific Electric Magazine from May 10, 1929, gave a pithy explanation of how this four-footed shuttle worked: 

“The mules that constituted the motive power on the north-bound trip and were allowed to ride on an improvised trailer on the return journey. During the course of the countless trips back and forth, on one occasion while coasting down hill the car gained more than the anticipated speed with the result that said mule power was shaken from its platform. After this experience, it was never again possible to get the mules to ride and subsequently horses replaced them, but were required to walk at all times.”

So, you ask, what happened to the displaced mules?  Lore has it that “When this system was abandoned, its 'central power plant' was sold to the hillside farmer, who complained that although his mules pulled the plow fine up hill they insisted on climbing on to ride back." (Monrovia Legacy Project, https://tinyurl.com/4jtrbha8.)

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​​You can learn about this and other facets of early life in Monrovia at the Monrovia Historical Museum, located in Recreation Park at 742 East Lemon.  A miniature replica of this mule trolley is currently on display in our East Wing's icons exhibit (image). It was created for the museum by one of our board members, Mike Andrews. Come visit our 8,000-square-foot museum from 1-4 pm on Thursdays and Sundays.  Admission is free and private tours are available!

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